“A little boy said to his mother; ‘Mommy, how come I’m black and you’re white?'” the email joke reads. “His mother replied, ‘Don’t even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you’re lucky you don’t bark!'” […]

Cebull said his brother initially sent him the email, which he forwarded to six of his “old buddies” and acquaintances.

He admitted that he read the email and intended to send it to his friends.

“The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan,” Cebull said. “I didn’t send it as racist, although that’s what it is. I sent it out because it’s anti-Obama.“

Cebull’s email is inexcusable, and his explanation for sending it only makes things worse. At best, Cebull has admitted that he despises President Obama so much that he lacks the ability to exercise basic judgment when confronted with an opportunity to insult the president. This hardly a suitable trait in a man whose sole job duty is to exercise judgment.

Worse, Cebull’s poor judgment does not simply compromise his own reputation, it also undermines the very integrity of our legal system. Federal judges hear many, many race discrimination cases, and a good judge will deem many of these cases lacking in merit and rule that no discrimination took place. Every time Cebull does so — or has done so in the past — is now tainted by the question of whether his decisions were rooted in the law or in his own racial animus.

Nor does Cebull’s claim to not hate black people, only our black president, make the situation any better. Federal judges are also called upon to evaluate the legality of a president’s actions at times — often in highly charged and controversial cases. Every time Cebull is asked to judge the Obama Administration is now also tainted.

It’s not at all clear how Cebull can remain on the bench in light of this taint. The legitimacy of the law depends upon litigants being able to trust the unbiased motives of the men and women entrusted with judging. Cebull’s actions strike directly at the heart of that trust.